Method for loading and unloading

ABSTRACT

Method for loading and unloading long-distance transportation means ( 1, 2 ) and for temporarily storing a standardized cargo ( 18 ) in an intermediate storage facility ( 3 ) includes a rail-guided hoist ( 5 ) with gripper ( 8 ). The cargo is lifted from a long-distance transportation means ( 1 ) and transferred to a transfer zone ( 4 ), lowered and set down. The cargo ( 18 ) is then transferred to an intermediate storage facility ( 3 ) and stored therein, then removed, transferred to a predetermined location in the transfer zone ( 4 ), and lowered and deposited onto a rail-guided long-distance transportation means ( 2 ) by the hoist ( 5 ). In the transfer area ( 4 ), the cargo ( 18 ) is lifted by another hoist ( 11 ) for movement to the predetermined location in the intermediate storage facility ( 3 ), and set down, whereupon the rail-guided long-distance vehicle ( 2 ) is loaded by moving the other hoist ( 11 ) to a predetermined location in the intermediate storage facility ( 3 ), and by lifting the cargo ( 18 ) via a shiftable and/or telescopic arm ( 13 ), withdrawing the cargo from the intermediate storage facility ( 3 ), and moving the cargo to a predetermined location in the transfer zone ( 4 ). The cargo ( 18 ) is then set down in the transfer area, lifted by the hoist ( 5 ), moved above the long-distance transportation means ( 2 ) and set down.

The invention relates to a method for loading and unloadinglong-distance transportation means and for temporarily storing astandardized cargo, e.g. container, interchangeable body structures fortrucks, in an intermediate storage facility.

The transport of goods is increasingly implemented in standardizedreceptacles, such as containers, tanks, because storage as well astransport of goods can take place at optimum space utilization. Also theuse of standardized hoists is possible for loading and unloading so thatloading and unloading can be mechanized in an especially simple manner.

Long-distance transportation means, such as, for example, railwayfreight cars, trucks, ships, are high-value investments which shouldhave shortest possible downtimes. In addition, efforts are underway tomaintain shortest possible overall transportation times, whereby loadingand unloading, in particular of rail-bound vehicles, which involvetrains of a length of few hundredths of meters, may be extremelytime-consuming. On one hand, marshalling of such trains inclassification yards is labor-intensive, on the other hand, make up of atrain can easily be replaced by respective loading of the train, whenuniform rolling material is involved, provided a respective logistics isavailable, namely during unloading, temporary storage and loading of atrain and also other long-distance transportation means.

WO 99/10258 discloses a storage facility for arrangement of storagegoods of random dimension on cargo carriers. The loaded cargo carriertravels for storage to a storage rack having vertical and horizontalconveyor devices. The storage facility is supervised by a dataprocessing unit. Further provided is the assembly of smaller loadingunits at job sites to a size that corresponds to a large loading unit.The multiplicity of vertically aligned transport lanes and verticalconveyor devices as well as in horizontal direction results in complexconstructions which are prone to malfunction because of theirmultiplicity.

EP 0 599 841 B1 describes a method and a device for transshippingcontainers. The containers are transported by trucks to the loadingstation and are removed by a hoist for transfer to pallets that roll onrails. The cargo together with the rolling pallets is stored in astorage facility. Loading of a railway train is realized by placing thecargo next to the track in desired sequence before the train to beloaded arrives so that the loading time of the train can besignificantly shortened as the goods being transported have beenpre-positioned and there is only need for placement of the containersupon the rolling material. The storage facility is managed by a dataprocessing system. Proposed is also the use of conveyor belts instead ofrolling pallets. Involved here is a complicated construction which isthus prone to malfunction.

The invention is thus based on the object to provide a method forloading and unloading long-distance transportation means and fortemporary storage, which method allows shorter times for loading andunloading of the long-distance transportation means and loading of andwithdrawal from an intermediate storage facility, which method furtherdoes not require added means other than for lifting in order to load andunload containers, interchangeable body structures or to providetemporary storage but rather requires only substantially horizontallyand vertically movable hoisting equipment. The method should furtherallow that its implementation requires only little space.

The method according to the invention for loading and unloadinglong-distance transportation means and for temporarily storingstandardized cargo, e.g. containers, interchangeable body structures forhighway trucks, in an intermediate storage facility, with the cargobeing identified, in particular automatically, and lifted by arail-guided hoist with gripper from a long-distance transportation meansand transferred to a transfer zone, lowered and deposited, subsequentlytransferring the cargo automatically on rails to an at leastsingle-level, especially multilevel, intermediate storage facility forautomatic storage there, subsequently automatically withdrawing andtransporting the cargo on rails to a predetermined location in thetransfer zone for lowering and placement with the rail-guided hoist ontoa rail-guided long-distance transportation means, essentially includeslifting the cargo in the transfer zone by a further rail-guided hoistwith, especially same, grippers as the hoist, e.g. spreaders,combination spreaders, tongs, and automatically moving the cargo,optionally approximately horizontally, to the predetermined location inthe intermediate storage facility, optionally under vertical conveyance,through intervention of a shiftable and/or telescopic arm of the furtherhoist into the intermediate storage facility and lowering and depositingthe cargo there, whereupon the rail-bound long-distance transportationmeans is loaded by automatically moving the further hoist to apredetermined location of the intermediate storage facility, and liftingthe cargo via the shiftable and/or telescopic arm and automaticallywithdrawing the cargo from the intermediate storage facility andautomatically moving the cargo to a predetermined location in thetransfer zone, and lowering and depositing the cargo in the latter,whereupon the cargo is lifted from the hoist and moved above thelong-distance transportation means, and lowered and deposited there.

Compared to cargo of different dimensions, standardized cargo has theadvantage that precisely suited spaces can be made available forlong-distance transportation means as well as in an intermediate storagefacility. As a consequence, the demand for space is considerablyreduced. Further advantageous is the possibility to work withstandardized hoists. In order to realize a rapid execution of loadingand unloading as well temporary storage, it is necessary to identify thecargo before arrival at the freight station. This identification,implemented for example via bar codes, chips, video camera to makeavailable the most important data such as departure location,destination location, sender, receiver, time of departure, time ofarrival, can be automatically recorded in particular with a dataprocessing system. The transport of the cargo by a rail-guided hoist toa transfer zone separates the unloading operation of a long-distancetransportation means and the transport to an intermediate storagefacility so that, for example, the number of hoists and further hoistscan be suited to the varying time constraints for their individualactions. The transport in an at least single level, especiallymultilevel, intermediate storage facility can, on one hand, avoid astacking of containers so that each container by itself can be withdrawnwithout rearrangement, and, on the other hand, a precisely positionedstorage and thus also a reliable identification for withdrawal ispossible. The term single-level intermediate storage facility is to beunderstood as relating to a storage facility in relation to the flatground. The automated storage results in a marking of the storagelocation so that the cargo can again be automatically removed. When thecargo is lifted from a further rail-guided hoist and moved from there tothe predetermined location in front of the intermediate storage facilityand then moved by a shiftable and/or telescopic arm into theintermediate storage facility and deposited there, there is no need foran additional apparatus, such as rolling pallets, vertical conveyor,horizontal conveyor and the like but the provision of the movablefurther hoist is sufficient, whereby the same grippers as in the hoistcan be used so that there is no need to equip the container or the likein additional regions with higher strength. The cargo can then bewithdrawn again with the further hoist from this location in theintermediate storage facility and deposited on a predetermined site inthe transfer zone. This predetermined site should already correspond toits position in the freight train because then there is only need forlifting the cargo with the hoist, movement thereof above thelong-distance transportation means, and lowering there.

When swinging the cargo upon the hoist and/or further hoist about atleast an approximately vertical axis, there is no need to align thelong-distance transportation means, such as, for example, a highwaytruck or a freight train, in precise parallel relationship, when directloading is desired. Such a swinging motion is also of particularimportance for a small demand of space in the intermediate storagefacility.

When swinging the cargo upon the hoist and/or further hoist about atleast one approximately horizontal axis, the cargo can be aligned inparallel to the platform of the long-distance transportation means, onone hand, and also a respective adjustment in relation to theintermediate storage facility can be realized.

When moving the cargo from a long-distance transportation means alongthe rails of the rail-guided long-distance transportation means to thetransfer zone and lowering the cargo there, a particularly shorttransport path is realized because the transfer zone is located betweenthe rails of the rail-guided long-distance transportation means and theintermediate storage facility, whereby, moreover, this unloading processcan also be executed when a loaded or only partially loaded railwaytrain is involved because there is only a need to lift the cargo higher.

When the further hoist is moved along, in particular parallel to, theintermediate storage facility and the rails of the rail-guidedlong-distance transportation means, a particularly simple further hoistcan be used because of the absence of different paths to theintermediate storage facility and the transfer zone for the cargo, andwhereby, moreover, an automated storage and removal can be executed in aparticularly simple manner.

When the cargo is withdrawn from the intermediate storage facility andpre-positioned in the transfer zone in correspondence to the desireddisposition on the rail-guided long-distance transportation means, theloading period for loading the train can be significantly shortened,before arrival of the train, because it is only necessary to lift thecargo for a short horizontal displacement and then to lower it upon thelong-distance transportation means.

When moving the cargo on the further hoist with its center of gravityabove only one rail secured to the ground or in midsection of severalground rails, the overall construction of the hoist can be keptespecially small so that energy consumption can be kept especially smallfor temporary storage and pre-positioning.

When inhibiting the movement of the cargo on the further hoist uponneighboring disposition of the hoist, a collision between the cargo onthe hoist and the cargo on the further host can be easily prevented.

A precise positioning of the cargo in the intermediate storage facilitycan be realized by controlling the movement of the further hoist throughposition transmitters in the intermediate storage facility.

When controlling the movement of the hoist and the further hoist byposition transmitters thereof, a simple continuous supervision can beimplemented especially on the basis of the movement thereof.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to thedrawing.

The sole FIGURE shows a schematic illustration of individual stations ofthe method according to the invention.

The drawing shows two long-distance transportation means, namely ahighway truck 1 and a railway train 2 in substantial parallelrelationship. Provided between the three-level high-rise storage rack 3and the railway train 2 is a transfer zone 4 for receiving the cargo.Disposed above the railway train 2 is a hoist 5, namely a gantry crane,having a transverse rail 6 for movement of the trolley 7 with thespreader from the highway truck via the railway train to the transferzone. The hoist 5 can be moved along rails 9 which extend along therails 10 of the railway train. Provided between the high-rise storagerack 3 and the transfer zone 4 is a further hoist 11 which can movealong a rail 12. The hoist 11 further includes two telescopic arms 13 onwhich a not shown spreader can travel from the transfer zone 4 into thehigh-rise rack 3. The telescopic arm 13, which can additionally travelvertically along vertical supports 17, enables the not shown spreadersto move from the transfer zone 4 to and into the respective bay 14, 15,16 of the high-rise rack. The further hoist 11 includes two verticalsupports 17 behind one another which are interconnected at the upper endby a cross member, on one hand, whereas the telescopic arms 13 aresecured to a cross member which is movable upwards and downwards alongthe vertical supports. The arms may also be constructed as displaceablearms.

The cargo 18, namely a container, is shown in various positions.

Loading and unloading as well as temporarily storing cargo is carriedout as follows.

The container 18, whether on the highway truck 1 or railway train 2,whereby several railway trains as well as several highway trucks may bedisposed behind and next to one another, is identified either by areader on the spreader or also by hand and stored in a data processingsystem. Either the identification establishes already the destinationlocation and the receiver, or this information must be inputted by hand.Taking into consideration the next train intended for the destinationlocation, the container is deposited either upon the railway train 2,when unloaded from the highway truck, or in the transfer zone 4. Whenremoving the container 18 from the highway truck, the hoist 5 must bemonitored by personnel. The spreaders of the hoists and the furtherhoists include sensors so as to facilitate the insertion of the holdingpins in the respective receptacles. However, it should be taken intoaccount that the highway truck not necessarily is positioned in parallelrelationship to the rails 9 for the hoist so that a rotation of thespreader about a vertical axis may be required. When the container isunevenly loaded and the container is not arranged in parallelrelationship to the ground, also an additional rotation about ahorizontal axis may be required. After being lifted, the container isaligned into a position parallel to the rails 9 and generallyhorizontal. When intending to transport the container 18 into theintermediate storage facility, the further hoist 11 is operated by thedata processing system to move in front of the container, to lower thespreader and to lift the container. The spreader is moved until thecontainer is positioned with its center of gravity above the rail 12.Subsequently taking place is a horizontal conveyance to a locationpredetermined by the data processing system whereupon the spreader isoptionally moved upwards, with respective markings being provided on thevertical supports for cooperation with sensors on the telescopic arm 13.Respective markings are provided on the bays for positioning of thefurther hoist 11 in front of the individual bays and cooperate withsensors which are provided on the vertical supports and on thetelescopic arms. The container is then moved into the respective bay andlowered.

Loading of a railway train involves a withdrawal of a selected container18 from the high-rise storage rack by the further hoist 11, ascontrolled by the data system, wherein the data processing systemcontrols the travel of the further hoist to the individual bay 14, 15,16 as well as the movement pattern for the container, i.e. lifting,moving thereof with its center of gravity above the rail 12, thenlowering and transport in lowered position to a predetermined locationin the transfer zone 4 and lowering of the container in the transferzone. The containers 18 are stored one after the other in the transferzone 4 in accordance with logistics demands, for example, whenindividual railway cars should be disengaged, or when the specificdemands of unloading devices at other railway stations should be takeninto account. After arrival of the railway train, the containers 18 canbe transported by the hoist 5 from the transfer zone or also from thehighway truck onto the railway train. The movement of the cargo 18 onthe further hoist 11 and the movement of the further hoist itself areinhibited when the hoist is in neighboring position. It is alsoconceivable, when several railway trains are positioned next to oneanother, to execute a transfer from one railway train to a furtherrailway train. The number of hoists and further hoists as well as thelength of the transfer zone 4 and the intermediate storage facility 3depend on the intended loading times and the length of the long-distancetransportation means to be loaded.

A precise control and/or regulation of the movement of the hoist and/orfurther hoist may be realized by providing thereon position transmitterswhich, e.g., identify the position relative to the intermediate storagefacility, the transfer zone, the car of the railway train being loaded,the container, and/or detect the distance traveled.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A method for loading and unloading a long-distancetransportation means and for temporarily storing a standardized cargo,e.g. container, interchangeable body structure for a highway truck, inan intermediate storage facility, comprising the steps of: a)identifying a cargo of a first long-distance transportation means; b)lifting the cargo by a first rail-guided hoist with gripper from thefirst long-distance transportation means; c) transferring the cargo to atransfer zone; d) lowering and depositing the cargo in the transferzone; e) lifting and automatically transferring the cargo from thetransfer zone by a shiftable and/or telescopic arm of a secondrail-guided hoist to a predetermined location in an intermediate storagefacility for storage; f) lowering and depositing the cargo in theintermediate storage facility; g) automatically moving the second hoistto a predetermined location of the intermediate storage facility; h)lifting and automatically withdrawing the cargo by the shiftable and/ortelescopic arm of the second hoist from the predetermined location inthe intermediate storage facility and automatically transferring thecargo to a predetermined location in the transfer zone; i) lowering anddepositing the cargo in the transfer zone; and j) lifting the cargo bythe first hoist from the predetermined location in the transfer zone forplacement onto a rail-guided second long-distance transportation means.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifying step is executedautomatically.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the intermediatestorage facility is single-level.
 14. The method of claim 11, whereinthe intermediate storage facility is multilevel.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein the intermediate storage facility is a high-rise rack. 16.The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second hoists have anidentical gripper assembly.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the stepe) includes a horizontal movement of the cargo by the second hoist. 18.The method of claim 17, wherein the step e) includes a vertical movementof the cargo by the second hoist by means of the shiftable and/ortelescopic arm of the second hoist.
 19. The method of claim 11, whereinthe cargo is pivoted about at least one approximately vertical axis whenreceived by the first hoist and/or the second hoist.
 20. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the cargo pivoted about at least one approximatelyhorizontal axis when received by the first hoist and/or the secondhoist.
 21. The method of claim 11, wherein the step c) includes amovement of the cargo directly from the first long-distancetransportation means via rails of the second long-distancetransportation means to the transfer zone.
 22. The method of claim 11,wherein the step e) includes moving the second hoist substantially alongthe intermediate storage facility and the second long-distancetransportation means.
 23. The method of claim 11, wherein the step e)includes moving the second hoist in parallel relationship to theintermediate storage facility and the second long-distancetransportation means.
 24. The method of claim 11, wherein the step h)includes a pre-positioning of the cargo in the transfer zone inaccordance with a desired disposition upon the second long-distancetransportation means.
 25. The method of claim 11, wherein the cargo onthe second hoist is moved with its center of gravity above a single railmounted to the ground.
 26. The method of claim 11, wherein the cargo onthe second hoist is moved with its center of gravity above severalground rails in midsection thereof.
 27. The method of claim 11, whereina movement of the cargo by the second hoist and a movement of the secondhoist itself are inhibited, when the first hoist is in neighboringdisposition of the second hoist.
 28. The method of claim 11, and furthercomprising the step of controlling a movement of the second hoist byposition transmitters in front of and/or in the intermediate storagefacility.
 29. The method of claim 11, and further comprising the step ofcontrolling a movement of at least one of the first and second hoists byposition transmitters.
 30. The method of claim 11, and furthercomprising the step of implementing a lifting operation automatically.31. The method of claim 11, and further comprising the step ofimplementing a lowering operation automatically.